Bible Studies, Inspired by Faith and Science

Continuing our studies in Acts, we're actually going to start reading the book this week! And here are some questions on Chapter 1. Enjoy! Have you ever felt disappointed by someone—by a family member, a community, a church, a country, or even God? How does your disappointment affect your behavior? How does it affect your ability to make good decisions going forward? How has disappointment affected you in the past, and how have you dealt with it? 1.        When Jesus died, the disciples were probably pretty disappointment. How did they react? 2.        What about when Jesus rose from the dead? How did the disciples react then? (Read Luke 24:36-37, John 20:26-27, Matthew 28:16-17) 3.        Without checking, do you know long Jesus stayed with the disciples after rising from the dead? (Read Acts 1:1-3) a.        Do you know why the church celebra...

We're going to study Acts in our Coffee Break Bible study group, and we'd love you to join us, so here's our first lesson. Studies in Acts - Introduction Before we study Acts, let’s try to get some idea what we think we’re letting ourselves in for. Without looking in the Bible, try to give your “first-thoughts” answer to the following four questions. 1.        What do you think Acts is about? 2.        What do you most hope to gain from studying Acts? 3.        What do you think Christians in general, and Christian leaders in particular might gain from studying Acts? And 4.        Given that people like to classify things, would you classify Acts as: a.        History b.       Teaching c.        Prophecy d.       Poetry e. ...

We were asked in church to talk with the people sitting around us and discuss what we think is our "calling." On one side of me was a wonderful lady who not only runs but starts new church groups from scratch, always encouraging people, always drawing people closer to God. She has a day-job too where she doesn't push faith down people's throats, but she does make it clear what she believes and she's there for everyone. She amazes me. On my other side was a kind and gentle man who builds cabinets. He works alone, doesn't talk much about his faith or anything else. He prides himself on a job well done, value for money, and satisfied customers. He gives pleasure to those who employ him, and he creates beautiful pieces. There in the middle sat I. I'm a writer. I feel "called" to encourage people to read their Bibles, ask questions, realize faith isn't blind, and read their Bibles again. It sounds pretty good doesn't it? And I have books o...

What has chess got to do with the Bible? And what have chess and the Bible got to do with a virtual ebook fair? Click on the picture to go straight to the fair. Or read on to see how a Bible Book of Chess teaches new players that first vital step... how to think about the chess board... available from Amazon kindle at http://www.amazon.com/Bible-Book-Chess-Sheila-Deeth-ebook/dp/B00AKS7KS2/ In The Beginning A long time ago God made the world, and the trees and the flowers and the birds and the bees and the mountains and the seas.   One day God sent a flood to wash away all the bad things in the world. A man called Noah sailed a ship called an ark and landed on top of a mountain and was saved. The Board The chessboard is your world when you play chess. And the middle of the board is your mountain. Mountains are important in battles as well as in floods. Soldiers standing on high ground can see and shoot further. In chess you’ll find lots of your pieces ar...

Revisiting the Passion – And Beyond 1.        At the end of the last study, there wasn’t much doubt about the fact that Jesus had died. But crucifixion could take days. Why did he die so quickly? Read Mark 15:44 2.        Crucified bodies were often left on display to discourage crime. Why was Jesus buried so quickly? Read Mark 15:42 3.        Who witnessed Jesus’ death? Who witnessed his burial? Read Mark 15:42,47, John 19:39 4.        Who witnessed his resurrection? Read Matthew27:62-66, 28:4,11-15 5.        How did the Roman soldiers respond to the resurrection? Do you think they believed what they’d seen? Do you think they convinced themselves of the story they told? How easy is it to talk ourselves out of supernatural experiences? 6.        How did the priests and elders respond...